Exotic Pets Laws In Your State

Are you considering getting a few exotic pets? You should read this article before you do that. Did you know that all states in the US have special laws or concerns for the ownership of exotic pets? Around the US, reptiles or invertibrates are among the most admired exotic pets. So you will find them categorized as ‘wild caught’ and ‘captive born’ or ‘captive breeding’. Let’s get to know what the animals you can own and how you can find those exotic animals. If you are looking for an exotic pet, the top 10 practical choices are -

1. Llamas
2. Iguanas
3. Alpacas
4. Monkeys
5. Primates
6. Squirrels
7. Tortoises
8. Snakes
9. Capuchins
10. Tarantulas

And there’s much more! In some areas, you’ll be able to get animals bigger than this! Let’s take a look at the laws that apply regarding exotic pets. Some states let you to keep exotic pets without much legal bondage. However, other stages have rather strict laws regarding these pets. In general, there are 4 tiers of law in different states if you want to own exotic pets.

1. In the whole US, there are total 18 states holding strict laws regarding the ownership of exotic animals. However, these states are –

• Alaska
• California
• Colorado
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Iowa
• Kentucky
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• Tennessee
• Utah
• Vermont
• Washington and
• Wyoming

Exotic Pets Limited Bans

   2. In addition to this, there are 10 more states that have some sort of limited ban against ownership of exotic animals (i.e. some are permitted, while others aren’t). These states are:

• Arkansas
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Illinois
• Kansas
• Louisiana
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Nebraska
• Virginia

   3. Also, there are in total 13 states that require the pet owner to attain a license from the respective governing body of the state before they bring home your chosen exotic pets. The states are:

• Arizona
• Delaware
• Indiana
• Maine
• Mississippi
• Montana
• North Dakota
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Dakota and
• Texas

   4. On the other hand, there are 9 states that have absolutely no provision for licensing or permit. These states are –

• Arizona
• Delaware
• Indiana
• Maine
• Mississippi
• Montana
• North Dakota
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Dakota and
• Texas

So see in which state or category you’re in? For a Californian, for example, there’s no way to get even a simple ferret or chimpanzee! But, some people in California actually keep their pet wolves! There are many resources online about the bylaws of different states of the US.

You can consider researching the help of concerned government offices. You can either use search engines like Google or you can just use the yellow pages. Try and search for phone numbers of the city hall and/or county office. Then call them to see whether there is some kind of legislation from the local government.

May be they won’t be able to tell you for sure. If that is the case, you can consider calling the wildlife agency of your state. The authority working here can surely tell you about the guidelines available. Or at least, if these guys can’t directly help, they can at least tell you which agency you should go to. So it is also a good idea calling the local humane society, as they might provide you with some info.